Coch y bonddu

[Hans Weilenmann]

Coch y bonddu
Hook: Medium weight #10 (pre-WW2 - see note), or modern equivalent
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, dark chocolate
Hackle: Coch y bonddu, or dark furnace - webby cock - tied short
Body: Peacock herl
Tag: Krystal Flash, gold
Rib: Tying thread

Note: Pattern tied for a historical wingless wet swap - hence the hook selection, and retention of the huge barb




Cheers,
Hans W

[Steven]

What is furnace? Is that dark brown with black running along the stems?

[Allan]

Hans - As always - nicely tied. Mustads?

Steven - 'Furnace' is as you describe. "... dark brown with black running along the stems." Basically a brown 'Badger'. Coch y bonddu hackle is the same PLUS the edges of the feathers are black.

Allan

[Joe Billingsley]

"Roc" is the rib?

Joe

[okflyfisher]

That has got to be deadly

[Hans Weilenmann]

"Roc" is the rib?

Joe

Indeed Joe. Thanks. Corrected now.

Cheers,
Hans "dyslexic fingers" W

[Uncle Jesse]

Oh darn, I thought I had learned by first Dutch word.

[Steven]

Hans - As always - nicely tied. Mustads?

Steven - 'Furnace' is as you describe. "... dark brown with black running along the stems." Basically a brown 'Badger'. Coch y bonddu hackle is the same PLUS the edges of the feathers are black.

Allan

Thanks Allan. I recently purchased a brown half neck over the web. I most definitely got a lot of furnace. Now I know what to do with it.

[sagefisher]

Hans,

Great looking fly. There is an interesting article in the latest issue of the International Federation of Fly Fishers magazine, The Flyfisher, by Ni Rogers, a U.K. IFFF member talking about the Coch-y-bonddu fly. He says it is a Welsh fly, named after a Welsh beetle that once frequented the heather in the uplands of the hills of Wales. It can be fished either wet or dry. Tied on a lighter 'up eye' hook and using cock hackles for dry or on a heavier 'down-eyed' hook using hen hackles for the wet.

I love to see the old flies still being tied.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Ray Kunz]

Steven: I've been told that it is very difficult for the breeders of brown hackle to avoid having a black section of the barb closest to the stem. (Per Metz comment re their Microbarb Saddles) This is not to be considered a handicap and is used as an advantage.. It results in a nice darker thorax area beneath the brown hackles. I've also heard that some of the famous classic Catskill tiers use a light colored silver badger for cream hackles for this reason. I have no evidence to support these thoughts however, it's all hearsay..